Oh Se-hoon "Limits of the 1987 Constitution System... Need to Start Constitutional Amendment Discussions"

Prevent Political Polarization and Enable Cooperative Governance
"Psychological Division Over Impeachment" Pointed Out
Constitutional Amendment Discussions Begin Within People Power Party

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon suggested that "constitutional amendment discussions should begin" amid the impeachment crisis following the emergency martial law situation. This is based on the judgment that it is the starting point to prevent political polarization and create a governance structure capable of cooperative politics.

On the 23rd, Mayor Oh stated in a Facebook post titled 'From Winner-Takes-All to Bipartisan Cooperative Political System' that "we must acknowledge the limitations of the so-called 1987 constitutional system, which allows winner-takes-all parliamentary tyranny and an imperial presidency, and turn this crisis into an opportunity for the entire political sphere to start constitutional amendment discussions."

Yonhap News

He particularly diagnosed that "South Korea is currently in a psychological division state surrounding the impeachment." He pointed out, "Politics, which should melt the divided public sentiment like a melting pot and unify it, is instead becoming a catalyst that deepens political polarization." He continued, "While the qualities of individual politicians may be an issue, establishing a governance structure institutionally capable of cooperative politics is the path to sustainable democracy."

Mayor Oh's message on this day reflects the recognition that the political system must be changed to resolve political conflicts caused by the concentration of power in the presidency and the legislative dominance of the major opposition party. Following this incident, constitutional amendment discussions have also begun within the People Power Party. On the 18th, Kwon Seong-dong, the floor leader of the People Power Party, stated, "At this point, it is necessary to review whether a presidential system truly fits our reality," and added, "It is time to change the presidential system, which is an all or nothing game, into a system that can reflect the opinions of many citizens."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.